Lesbian Contemporary Fiction

Young adult books with a lead lesbian female character set in the present day. A mixture of coming out stories, first loves, and books that just happen to feature a lesbian teenage protagonist.



Ages 9-12

• Country Girl, City Girl by Lisa Jahn-Clough

Ages 12-15

• Allison: A Story of First Love by Tatiana Strelkoff
• Another Life Altogether: A Novel by Elaine Beale
• Belinda's Obsession (Not Just Proms & Parties) by Patricia Penny
• Benediction by Diane Salvatore
• Boyfriends with Girlfriends by Alex Sanchez
• The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George
• Good Moon Rising by Nancy Garden
• The House You Pass On The Way by Jacqueline Woodson
• Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
• Lark in the Morning by Nancy Garden
• The Last of Eden by Stephanie S Tolan
• Letters in the Attic by Bonnie Shimko
• Out of Left Field: Marlee's Story by Barbara L. Clanton
• Rhythm and Blues by Jill Murray
• Ruby by Rosa Guy
• The Sky Always Hears Me: And the Hills Don't Mind by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
• Sparks: The Epic, Completely True Blue, (Almost) Holy Quest of Debbie by S. J. Adams
• Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom by Brendan Halpin, Emily Franklin
• Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin
• We're Not Alone by Rik Isensee
• The Year They Burned the Books by Nancy Garden

Ages 13-16

• 365 Days by KE Payne
• A Hole in the World by Sophie Robbins
• Dive by Stacey Donovan
• Fool for Love by Lisa Lees
• Happy Endings Are All Alike by Sandra Scoppettone
• I've Known Since I Was Eight by Sophie Glasser
• me@you.com by KE Payne
• Pink by Lili Wilkinson
• S.P. Likes A.D. by Catherine Brett
• Who I Am by M.L. Rice

Ages 15-18

• A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend by Emily Horner
• About a Girl by Joanne Horniman
• Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
• The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
• Crash into Me by Albert Borris
• Crashing America: A Novel by Katia Noyes
• Crush by Carrie Mac
• Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock
• Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
• Empress of the World by Sara Ryan
• Finding H.F.: A Novel by Julia Watts
• Flick by Geraldine Meade
• Girl from Mars by Tamara Bach
• Girl Walking Backwards by Bett Williams
• Good Girls Don't by Claire Hennessy
• Gravel Queen by Tea Benduhn
• Gravity by Leanne Lieberman
• grl2grl: Short fictions by Julie Anne Peters
• Far from Xanadu by Julie Anne Peters
• The Foul Line by F Thibou
• Hello Groin by Beth Goobie
• Here, in my Head by Lauren Stone
• Hey, Dollface by Deborah Hautzig
• I Kiss Girls by Gina Harris
• In Keisha's Shadow by Sandra Barret
• Inferno by Robin Stevenson
• It's Our Prom (So Deal With It) by Julie Anne Peters
• Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters
• Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole
• Love & Lies: Marisol's Story by Ellen Wittlinger
• Mosh Pit by Kristyn Dunnion
• My Invented Life by Lauren Bjorkman
• My Tiki Girl by Jennifer McMahon
• Name All the Animals by Alison Smith
• The Necessary Hunger: A Novel by Nina Revoyr
• Of All the Stupid Things by Alexandra Diaz
• Perfect by Ellen Hopkins
• Pretty Little Liars Box Set: Books 1 to 4 by Sara Shepard
• Qualities of Light by Mary Carroll Moore 
• Rage: A Love Story by Julie Anne Peters
• Rose of No Man's Land by Michelle Tea
• Rosemary and Juliet by Judy MacLean
• Rules for Hearts by Sara Ryan
• Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
• She Loves You, She Loves You Not... by Julie Anne Peters
• The Shattering by Karen Healey
• The Side Door by Jan Donley
• Sister Mischief by Laura Goode
• Skim (graphic novel) by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
• Sugar Rush by Julie Burchill
• The Suicide Year by Lena Prodan
• Torn by Amber Lehman
• Tripping to Somewhere by Kristopher Reisz
• Tomorrow Wendy: A Love Story by Shelley Stoehr
• The Trouble with Emily Dickinson by Lyndsey D'Arcangelo

Ages 18+

• A Map of Home: A Novel by Randa Jarrar
• Bottle Rocket Hearts by Zoe Whittall
• Homecoming by Nell Stark
• The IHOP Papers by Ali Liebegott
• The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth
• Pages for You: A Novel by Sylvia Brownrigg
• Two Girls by Perihan Magden
• Women's Studies by Julia Watts

Lesbian Secondary Characters in Fiction

YA Fiction with a lesbian secondary character that has a main part in the plot.

Secondary character lesbian fiction includes stories about kids with lesbian parents, friends and romantic interests. Some of them are matter of fact stories that happen to feature lesbian characters, others are struggles to overcome a changed family, homophobia or conflict directed at their friends.

Ages 9-12

• And Featuring Bailey Wellcom as the Biscuit by Steve Feldman
• Cissy Funk by Kim Taylor
• Equinox by Monte Killingsworth
• From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson
• Living in Secret by Cristina Salat

Ages 12-15

• Between Mom and Jo by Julie Anne Peters
• Deliver Us from Evie by M. E. Kerr
• Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger
• How I Fell in Love and Learned to Shoot Free Throws by Jon Ripslinger
• Love Rules (Hamilton High series) by Marilyn Reynolds
• Name Me Nobody by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
• Pearl by Jo Knowles
• Promise Me Something by Sara Kocek
• Say the Word by Jeannine Garsee
• The Summer of Love by Debbie Drechsler
• Talk to Me (Laurel Leaf Books) by Carol Dines
• Tessa Masterson Will Go to Prom by Brendan Halpin, Emily Franklin
• Threshold by Devin O'Branagan

Ages 15-18

• A Great and Terrible Beauty (The Gemma Doyle Trilogy) by Libba Bray
• Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood by Melissa Hart
• Out of the Shadows (Livewire) by Sue Hines
• Secrets of Truth and Beauty by Megan Frazer
• Shockproof Sydney Skate by Marijane Meaker

Gay Contemporary Teen Fiction

Contemporary fiction with a gay male main character.


Ages 9-12

• The Misfits by James Howe
• Totally Joe by James Howe 

Ages 12-15

• Absolutely Positively Not by David LaRochelle
• Band Fags! by Frank Anthony Polito
• Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
• The Boys and the Bees by Joe Babcock
• The God Box by Alex Sanchez
• "Hello," I Lied by M. E. Kerr
• I'll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip by John Donovan
• Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan
• Peter by Kate Walker 
• M or F? by Lisa Papademetriou, Chris Tebbetts
• My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park by Steve Kluger 
• Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
• Saints of Augustine by P. E. Ryan
• So Hard to Say by Alex Sanchez
• Tale of Two Summers by Brian Sloan

Ages 13-16

• Angry Management by Chris Crutcher 
• Bullied by Jeff Erno
• Exiled to Iowa. Send Help. And Couture by Chris O'Guinn
• Fade to Black by Alex Flinn
• Freak Show by James St. James
• In Mike We Trust by P. E. Ryan
• Swimming in the Monsoon Sea by Shyam Selvadurai
• Swimming to Chicago by David-Matthew Barnes

Ages 15-18

• A Better Place by Mark A. Roeder
• A Really Nice Prom Mess by Brian Sloan
• A Secret Edge by Robin Reardon
• Act Well Your Part by Don Sakers
• Ancient Prejudice, Break to New Mutiny... by Mark A. Roeder
• Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby
• Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
• Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
• Big Guy by Robin Stevenson
• Bleeding Hearts (Killian Kendall Mysteries) by Josh Aterovis
• The Boys on the Rock by John Fox
• Cowboys Can Fly by Ken Smith
• Dance on My Grave by Aidan Chambers
• David Inside Out by Lee Bantle
• Do You Know That I Love You by Mark Roeder
• Don't Let Me Go by J.H. Trumble
• Dream Boy: A Novel by Jim Grimsley
• Dumb Jock by Jeffrey A. Erno
• Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris
• The Evolution of Ethan Poe by Robin Reardon
• Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
• How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater by Marc Acito
• Impulse by Ellen Hopkins
• Kamikaze Boys by Jay Bell
• Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates

• Little Boy Lost: Enlightened (Little Boy Lost Series) by J.P. Barnaby
• Lucky in Love by Don Sakers
• Maybe With a Chance of Certainty (Tales of Foster High) by John Goode
• The Order of the Poison Oak by Brent Hartinger
• Out of the Pocket by Bill Konigsberg
• Outtakes Of A Walking Mistake by Anthony Paull
• Rounding Third by Walter G Meyer
• Screwed Up Life of Charlie The Second by Drew Ferguson
• Shades of Gay: They Just Wanted to Be Happy, That Was Their Sin by Stephanie Silberstein
• Split Screen: Attack of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies / Bride of the Soul-Sucking Brain Zombies by Brent Hartinger
• Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You: A Novel by Peter Cameron
• Someone Is Watching by Mark A. Roeder
• Something Like Summer by Jay Bell
• Sprout by Dale Peck
• The Straight Road to Kylie by Nico Medina
• Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
• Thinking Straight by Robin Reardon
• The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd
• What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson
• What We Do Is Secret by Kief Hillsbery
• Wide Awake by David Levithan
• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Ages 18+

• A Boy's Own Story: A Novel by Edmund White
• All These Things: Something of a Memoir by Tyler Reedus
• Clicking Beat on the Brink of Nada by Keith Hale
• The Cranberry Hush: A Novel by Ben Monopoli
• The Distance Between Us by Bart Yates
• Funny Boy by Shyam Selvadurai
• Slant: A Novel by Timothy Wang
• When You Don't See Me by Timothy J. Beck
• The Year of Ice: A Novel by Brian Malloy

Gay Teen Fiction With A Straight Main Character

These books all include a major gay male character or theme, but have a straight protagonist*

While these stories are seen through the eyes of straight teenagers, they are mostly about that teen coming to terms with a gay friend, (ex)boyfriend, father, uncle or their own homophobia.

*There are a couple of books with lesbian protagonists as well.


Ages 9-12

• The Manny Files by Christian Burch

Ages 12-15

• Bait by Alex Sanchez
• Eagle Kite by Paula Fox
• Earthshine by Theresa Nelson
• Getting It by Alex Sanchez
• Kiss by Jacqueline Wilson
• Love You Two by Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli
• Mousetraps by Pat Schmatz
• My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr
• Night Kites by M. E. Kerr
• Saints of Augustine by P. E. Ryan
• Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend by Carrie Jones
• Twelve Long Months by Brian Malloy
• Two Parties, One Tux, and a Very Short Film about The Grapes of Wrath by Steven Goldman 
• Unfinished Dreams by Jane Breskin Zalben
• Unlived Affections by George Shannon

Ages 13-16

• Absolute Brightness by James Lecesne
• Bullied by Jeff Erno
• Dramarama by E. Lockhart
• Mesmerized by David-Matthew Barnes

Ages 15-18

• The Arizona Kid by Ron Koertge
• Eight Seconds by Jean Ferris
• Finding H.F.: A Novel by Julia Watts
• Jack by A.M. Homes
• The Last Exit to Normal by Michael Harmon
• The Leaving by Gabriella West
• The Man Without a Face by Isabelle Holland
• Naomi and Ely's No Kiss List by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
• A Question of Manhood by Robin Reardon
• War Boy by Kief Hillsbery

Ages 18+

• The Fall: A Novel by Ryan Quinn